1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to reels for winding lines, more specifically to reels for winding lightweight, residential extension cords and particularly to a hand reel storage device for winding holiday light strings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There exist hand reels for winding heavyweight electrical extension cords and other types of chains/lines. However, a lightweight, economical hand reel is particularly needed for winding holiday light strings. None of the hand reels known completely satisfy this need. Typically, a consumer will purchase holiday light strings in a flimsy, cardboard box which is discarded immediately after initial purchase. The holiday lights are then balled up, twisted, knotted and stored haphazardly along with other holiday decorations until subsequent use. Extra bulbs which are included in the holiday light string packages are typically discarded or lost since no storage for the extra bulbs currently exists. This practice causes consumers undue aggravation and unnecessarily wastes valuable time at the holiday season, especially when the consumer attempts to untangle the badly stored holiday light string or when the consumer makes a futile attempt to locate replacement bulbs for burned out bulbs on the string. Currently no hand reel/storage device is available which satisfies the above requirements.
Cord reels proposed are too heavy, bulky, complicated and expensive for the storage of holiday light strings. Some cord reels proposed have axles on which the spool turns. Although an important and convenient feature for winding and unwinding lines that are used frequently, a turning spool is unnecessary for a holiday light string that is typically wound and unwound only once per calendar year. Other reels proposed have a central bore for the user to support by the hand, have many more individual parts than desirable, or bulkier, heavier and sturdier than necessary for once-a-year use, while providing no storage for the extra bulbs.
Numerous reels for winding lines have been provided in prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,983,565 to Replogle; 3,837,448 to Hagstrom; 3,983,977 to Crabb; 4,143,746 to Lowery; 4,917,323 to Wing; 5,598,985 to Winesett; Des. 339,976 to Ferguson, Sr. and Des. 375,251 to Stevens et al. all are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.